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Genell McClendon

Making a grand entrance as queen and king, seniors Kate Odom and Philip Grecu prepare to start the feast.

Filled with music, pageantry, humor and a hearty meal, the Mustang Choir delivered holiday spirit at their 15th annual Madrigal Dinner last weekend.

The Madrigal Dinner is a re-creation of a Renaissance feast.

“As the Madrigal Dinner consists of chamber music, it kind of feeds in music-wise to what we do,” choir director Kristin Poligala said. “It is an opportunity for the choir to perform with other fine arts organizations.”

Mane Attraction provided music for the dinner, with about 15 pieces of chamber music. These pieces included a blessing to the feast, different music to introduce each course and a closing with “Silent Night”.

“This was my second time performing at the Madrigal Dinner, and I felt proud to actually perform and not just serve food like I did during my first time,” junior Denniel Santos said. “I am also very proud of how we sound when we perform. The Madrigal Dinner is a great way to channel holiday vibes and give people a good performance.”

Actors from the choir and Johnny on the Spot (JOTS) played a variety of roles ranging from a court jester and wench, to royalties such as the queen and king.

JOTS member senior Tyler Morgan played the jester.

“We parodied the story of ‘Robin Hood’ to entertain the guests while they are eating,” Morgan said. “It felt awesome to play such a fun role in such an entertaining story. Regardless if people were paying attention or not, I made sure my performance was as great as possible.”

Performers wear medieval costumes in order to fully emulate a Renaissance atmosphere. The costumes are elaborate made of satin, brocade and give the feast a royal feeling.

“This was my third time performing at the Madrigal Dinner. I performed as king this year,” senior Philip Grecu said. “Along with my very nice hat and skin-tight tights, I am wearing this kingly, blue robe.”

Due to the pandemic, last year’s Madrigal Dinner was different, as guests were only able to watch the performance and not actually eat.

“It is very challenging to perform at dinners as we perform longer,” Grecu said. “It felt great to be back to normal and give our guests the whole experience.”